Fire-escape.



BOOTH.

PIBE ESCAPE. AEPLIOATION FILED OUT. 6, 1913.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

27%0722 a; Ewflz,

HE NORRIS PETERS ca. PHOTO-LVTHQ, WASHINGTON, u.

THOMAS BOOTH, OF BOISE, IDAHO.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be itknown that I, THOMAS BOOTH, a

'- citizen of the United States, residing at Boise city, in the county of Ada and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improvement in fire escapes.

The primary object of the invention is to improve the construction shown in my pat ent granted the 9th day of September, 1913. The structure illustrated in said patent consists of a casing rectangular in cross section and formed with an opening and a cable on which the casing is slidably mounted, the casing supporting a plurality of brakes or clutches for engaging the cable to retard the progress of the casing on the cable. In this construction the body support is connected to one of the clutch members, and the present invention is designed particularly to improve the construction and arrangement of the body support as well as the means for clutching the cable to retard the progress of the casing.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby the casing'is fed at a moderate rate of speed along thecable,

said means acting independently of the clutch mechanism.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 a vertical section. Fig. 3 a section-on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 a front elevation.

"Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

In the drawings, 10 designates the casing which is substantially rectangular in cross section, the casing including side walls 11 and 12and end walls 13 and 14. The side wall 12 terminates short of the end wall 13, thereby providing an opening through which the cable is passed in positioning the same within the casing. The end wall 13 is more extensivethan the end wall 14, projecting beyond the side wall 12 and forming a stop for a latch member. This latch member consists of a plate 15 pivotally connected to the wall 12 of the casing adjacent its lower end. This plate extends the entire length of the casing and is formed with the offset portion 16, which extends beyond the casing. The plate, as will be noted from Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1915.

Application filed October 6, 1913. Serial No. 793,624.

Fig. 1, extends across the slot between the edge of the wall 12 and the wall 13, thus preventing displacement of the cable. I

The wall 13, adjacent its upper end, is formed with an opening 17, the plate 15 being provided with an extension 18 which projects through said opening when the plate is in closed position. The plate is held in closed position by a latch 19 which consists of a. strip of resilient material secured to one edge of the plate and formed with a stud, which extends within an opening formed in the wall 12 of the casing. It will be noted by this construction that the cable, after being positioned within the casing, is effectually held against displacement.

The body support consists of a yoke 20 which is pivotally mounted between the side walls of the casing, being supported on the shaft 20 arranged at the base of the casing. Attention is called to the fact that the weight of the body is on the casing and not on the rope clutch as in my former patent- It will also be seen that anyv form of belt or support may be attached to the yoke and conveniently removed when not in use. A

plate per end of the casing and forming a support for a shaft 21 on which a roller 22 .is mounted, there being a plate or disk 22 arranged on the end of the shaft remote from the plate. of the casing, whereby the cable 23 may be: looped over the same. It will be noted that with the cable looped over the roller 22, the weight of the body exerted on the casing will draw the roller in binding contact with the cable to retard the progress of the casing, allowing for gradual descent. The rope clutch consists of a block 24 pivotally mounted, within the casing, the face 25 of said block beingadapted to bear on the cable to stop the casing or to retard its progress. A lever 26 is mounted on the lower end of the block, said lever extending through a slot 27 arranged in the wall 14: of the casing.

When the device is in use and the cable positioned within the casing, the clutch block 24: is held in contact with the cable until the occupant has been seated in the sling or basket attached to the yoke 20. The clutch is then released to an extent, whereby the casing will slide gradually over the cable, its progress being retarded by the 21 is secured to the, wall 11 of the casing, said plate extending beyond the up-v The roller extends transversely rol1er22 as Well as the clutch 24. Tt'vvillibe noted by this construction that the speed at WhiCh the casing travels over the-cable may be conveniently regulated by the occupant and that the Weight of thebody supported by the yoke Will cause a gradual descent brought out of contact With the cable. ,It Will be of the casing Whenever the clutch is noted, however, thattheclutch member may beibroughtin contact with thecable to stop the kcasing .at any point along the cable, 7 thereby allowing the'occupant to descend fromcne floor 0t" therbuilding 'to another.

y ItFWill be noted "that when :the plate 15 is.

closed, its extension 16 is disposed to jclose the opening betvveenthe upper end ,of the casing :lO'and the adjacentuedge ofthedisk 22, thus forming a guardto prevent the therefrom xby-i slippingover :the free 6X cable vvhen slackened, lfrom .uncoiling from around the roller. 22 :and becoming displaced tremit-ys'of the shaft supporting said roller.

'- Thus, 'When the plate 15 is brought into locked position, .it.':not -onl-y prevents the c'able from being removed from thecasing butflfatlso forms-'a-icontinuation. o fvthe side Wall :of ith'e casing, whereby :the cablefis. maintainedon theroller as effectually aszif I 'thei 'iroller Were ridisposed ib'etween and secured to the end Walls of the casing.

tention is-also called to the factlthatithe structure is 's'uch ithat it may: be "easily and economically manufactured and that the variou's parts may be :readily assembled.) It will be obvious that when not in'use, the device may' be readily'removed from the cablegthe roller being so supported'that the cable may be removed fromthesame without fdisconnecting the cable from the bui1c1-' Thus, thedevicexmay be quickly at:

ta'ch'ditothe cable and broughtfinto use by merely looping the cable over the roller, passing the :same through the eslot vformed acup e ofrcms patent ma-ybe obtained 3m casing, and a closure plate s;

in the casing "a'nd'locliing 'the 'plate""l5"to the casing. It Will "be noted that any suitable formof sling or'basket-may be attached to the supporting yoke and that the operation ffofthe device does not depend on the cons'truction of the body supporting means. It Will be noted that the offset portion 16 of the PlZitGwlfiBXtQIlClS beyond the upper end of the-casing 10 and terminatesat its free extremity adjacent .theedgeof the plate 22, vforming a" closure for the opening1 between 's'aid'plate and the casing and provid-; ing a cable retaining guard for the roller22 preventing displacement over the :freefextremity s-of the standard isupportingthe roller of J the portionfoffthe cable coiled around the, roller, which might otherwyise occur Whenthe device Was not; use and thecable became slackened;

Havin thus described gmy What I claimwas new isz invention,

A device of the character described including a-casing havinga slot formedfthere- 1 V in,a roller supported upon the casing and I spaced fromone end thereof one extremity of saidrroller being :free, a plate carried at the :tree extremity of} the roller, ;a cable insertible in-the casing through saidislot and between the plate carried alt the free extrem ity ofthe roller andthe adjacent end of the casing", said, cable engaging the-roller :means carried by-thecasing to frictionally'engage the cable, .a body support;mountedalponlthe ed upon the casing',;tl1e free 'extremity of said plate, :forming'liapable retaining-guard forl'the roller;v :j J ilnzrtestimony' whereof I aflix my signature in' 'presence ofitvvo;Witnesses; t

' THoM sBoomri,, nia v Witnesses: 1 T V ATNS J. Bonn,

i EMILY "D-Avrs.

five Fcents aeh, by addressing the Commissioner otjateiits, washlngtongDncfi I I t *ftablyimount;

vso 

